Meet Bobby Harrell’s “Fluffers”

What should have been a cut-and-dry debate on the issue of government transparency in South Carolina has instead turned into a massive insider brawl - one that has South Carolina’s most powerful lawmaker going to extraordinary measures in an attempt to win a brewing public relations war.

It’s a PR fight this powerful politico has been losing ever since he fired the opening salvo at a GOP caucus meeting three months ago. … and one he continues to lose as his efforts become more, well, transparent.

At the heart of the matter is left-leaning House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s desire to squash the ascension of conservative State Rep. Nikki Haley to a key economic development committee (as well as her bill requiring lawmakers to cast their votes “on the record”) like a bug.

It’s not about gender … and it’s less about the rules of the House.

You see, Harrell and his big-spending sycophants have thrived on secrecy while spending unprecedented amounts of your money, and now that these reckless habits have put South Carolina in a huge hole - they want to make damn sure that nobody removes the wool they’ve managed to pull over the taxpayers’ eyes all these years.

At the same time, Harrell is seeking to reassert his questionable control over the S.C. House of Representatives, which ran like a well-oiled machine under former Speaker David Wilkins but has since devolved into chaos.

He’s also hoping to clear a path for his big government agenda by ensuring that a fellow RINO is in charge of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, which next to Ways & Means is the most influential committee in the House.

And while Harrell’s latest effort to cover his PR bases wasn’t as brazen as his no-holds barred assault on the conservative group that raised the transparency issue in the first place, it shows just how sensitive Harrell has become - and just how hard he’ll push his loyal members to get what he wants.

We knew Harrell had two willing RINO accomplices in outgoing House Majority Leader Jimmy Merrill (and his replacement stooge, Kenny Bingham), but judging from a barrage of e-mails being sent around the state today, he’s added four new names to his list of “fluffers.”

For starters, here’s an e-mail sent to “Republican women” today from State Reps. Rita Allison, Joan Brady and Annette Young …

Fellow Republican Women,

It has come to our attention that a proposed House rule change has turned into a “gender” discussion. This assumption is wrong and actually hurts the interests of the women in the House.

As long serving women in the House, representing districts in the Upstate, Midlands and Lowcountry, we want to set the record straight.

Here are the facts:

* Appointment of House committee chairs by the Speaker is a needed reform

* Following the past election, appointment authority is vital to the majority party to ensure accountability

*These chairmanships are too important to the legislative process to be bargained off to a minority party

*This reform will align SC with the majority of other states that use the committee appointment process

*Leadership oversight will add efficiency and transparency to the the committee process

We understand that some may honorably question the motives of this reform. We respectfully disagree with the misrepresentation of the purpose of this change. Let us assure you, this rule change is about “reform” not gender, or it would not have received our combined support.

Now, help us concentrate on the “real” issues that impact our families and women in South Carolina.

Sincerely,

Rep. Rita Allison
Rep. Joan Brady
Rep. Annette Young

Jeez … aside from the fact that every word of that letter is complete and total bullsh*t (see here for that story), we were also struck by the e-mail message that preceded it, which was blasted out to several leading Republican women in Horry County by State Rep. Alan Clemmons, who is evidently Speaker Harrell’s fourth new “fluffer.”

In his message, Clemmons says:

Good Morning, Ladies!  I have just received the following email from my dear friends, Joan Brady, Annette Young and Rita Allison.  I have the pleasure of serving with good service minded women in the General Assembly.  They joined forces to respond to certain allegations that a proposed change to the rules of the House of Representatives resulted from gender-based motives on behalf of House leadership.  I firmly believe that not to be the case, and the following email, I think, proves such allegations baseless.  Would you be so kind as to distribute this email to other GOP women that you feel may have an interest in this matter.

Thank you for your help in setting the record straight!

Clearly, the Speaker is calling in the cavalry in an effort to justify his crusade against Haley - who to her credit has tried to keep the debate focused solely on her government transparency bill.

Frankly, it’s amazing. And sad that the Speaker of the House would go to such lengths to attack common sense policy when a vast majority of South Carolinians have made it clear that they want their leaders to go to equal lengths in support of such policy.

Oh, and for those of you wondering what a “fluffer” is … forgive us.

From Wikipedia:

A fluffer is a hired member of the crew of a pornographic movie whose role on the set is to sexually arouse the male participants prior to the filming of scenes requiring erections.

Pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?

For all the gender and rules debates, Harrell and his “fluffers” are very simply trying to accomplish two things - 1) keeping the public from seeing how they vote, and 2) keeping a conservative leader from heading up this critical economic development position.

It’s just that simple.

Comments

By Glenn on November 21st, 2008 at 4:13 pm

I have read three articles in relation to this spat, and in each Rep. Harrell has claimed Rep. Haley is running statewide, a victim because she is a woman, pandering, because Rep. Harrell is keeping her from the chairmanship, because she’s carrying Sanford agenda, that she is alienating other members, etc. For him to say this is not personal is asinine. See below, Rep. Haley’s quote from The State the other day.

“For the record, Ms. Haley says she is not running for statewide office, she does not believe she’s being picked on because she’s a woman and she does not see herself as a victim — all charges that were leveled against her when she asked the Republican Caucus to endorse her bill. “They’re making every excuse in the book as to why I’m doing this, and why can’t it be just because I think it’s good policy?””

Will I am not always in tune with your off color photos and remarks, however this one is warranted! It sounds like the three women that signed this letter have fallen into the Harrell trap or have been promised some key leadership roles for reorganization. Rep. Haley keep up the great work, we need 123 more of you in the House.

By Insider on November 21st, 2008 at 4:18 pm

WOW! Harrell is really taking it to the streets. Unfortunately for him he keeps making making it worse. This is a street fight he has already lost in more ways than one.

By wow wee wow wow on November 21st, 2008 at 4:31 pm

Bobby is getting Alan Clemmons to shield for him. Thats very revealing to know that Bobby has Alan in the power structure of the House. Bring back Wilkins!

By Sad on November 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pm

I had hoped that Rita’s time in the Guv.’s office had an impact on her. She had the opportunity to come back into the house as a real leader- guess that is not going to happen.

By Meredith Wilson on November 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 am

Alan Clemmons would probably give Bobby a rusty trombone every day if he thought it would get him a leadership position.

By Jennifer on November 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 am

Rita Allison must be trying to shed her Sanford connection. To align herself with these two is really disappointing and a grossly huge mistake on her part.

By Disappointed on November 22nd, 2008 at 10:51 am

It is sad seeing Rita sucked in by the status quo leadership even before session starts. The time she spent with our governor obviously had no impact on her. I hope for the sake of our state that she sees the light and I pray that she doesn’t settle for being a common legislative hack (like Bingham and Merrill). We’ve had those for decades and, as a consequence, rank last nationally in so many different categories — with being dead last among the 50 states in transparency being just the latest in the “parade of horribles” (e.g., education, healthcare, road maintenance, etc.).

By Just the Facts Ma'am on November 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 am

If this type of hyperbole is the best we can do as “conservatives” in discussing serious political issues, our side is on a sad decline morally and ethically.

By James on November 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 am

There is nothing moral or ethical under the Harrell leadership. He is self serving and his latest power grab is the icing on the cake. He and his finger puppets, starring Cato, Merrill, Bingham, Young, and Brady have done nothing the past three months except divide the Republican Caucus. Harrell doesn’t know how to manage people. He has surrounded and used arrogant and less than smart legislators to do his dirty work. At the end of the day when you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas. This year will leave Harrell a lonely stray dog.

By Trash Man on November 22nd, 2008 at 11:40 am

We actually enjoy taking out the trash in Spartanburg (i.e. Ritchie and Walker). Break out the Glad Bags because we will get rid of Rita if she doesn’t get off the good ole boy boat…

By Jimmy Byrnes on November 22nd, 2008 at 11:42 am

Perhaps it was Rita’s experience in the Governor’s Office that led to her line up with Annette et.al. The fact that she spent nearly six years in the most do-nothing, rudderless, arrogant administration in SC history drove her to try and accomplish something worthwhile.

By Anon on November 22nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm

I have been working with the Speaker for some time now on my leadership role, which should come to fruition soon. I did promise, as asked by him, to vote for the rules change. This is the way the game is played. While I do disagree with his left leaning stance and over spending, the only way to get ahead in politics is to make deals. My job now is to do the right thing with the committee I’m given, regardless of the Speakers position.

By GnuBerry on November 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pm

The opening salvo of these big-spending sycophants has devolved into chaos, squashing the ascension.

By Gene E. Nowak on November 24th, 2008 at 9:50 am

I am disappointed that Representative Allison is aligning herself “the way it has always been done crowd”, which is behind closed doors with out any fingerprints to point to the guilty parties.